Beyond the Shadows
by shadowbear
Summary: Don is sent to Obito Uchiha's dream world. Despite this world being Obito's creation, Don's deepest desires have shaped it. These changes cause Don to reject an initial offer to return home. Eventually he is left with only one option: Return what was given to him. Reclaim what was taken away. If these events had really occurred, Don would not have become the outcast ninja.


Beyond the Shadows

Don sat on one of the branches of his tree, leaning up against the trunk of the tree for support. Rain poured down from the sky over Konoha and kept going on what had seemed like forever. Warm droplets of rain fell onto Don's skin as the rain hit the canopy of the tree and trickled down through the leaves. He let out a deep sigh of sadness. It had been ten years since his father's death. Time seemed to had flown since then, yet at the same time, it almost felt like an eternity. He only had a few memories of him and his father. It was difficult for the both of them. Don had no mother, and his father had to balance putting food on the table and raising him. He hardly got to see his father except for the brief amounts of time he was on a mission, however, those were the best times of his life. He only wished that his father were still alive so he could be with him again, but he knew nothing in this world would bring him back from the dead.

The rain which covered the village felt familiar; a familiarity he could only relate to his life in Amegakure only a couple of years ago. It seemed to never stop raining in Amegakure, only breaking for brief moments in time, only to continue raining. At that time, Don had thought he found a purpose. He met a girl named Konan, who he fell in love with, and together they created a powerful bond. Together, they began to make a difference around Amegakure and life began to look up, until he was forced to leave upon punishment of death. She too had died and he didn't find out until recently she had committed suicide trying to take down a man who had started a war. He only wished that Konan were still alive so he could be with her again, but he knew nothing in this world would bring her back from the dead.

Don's wet hair covered his eyes; all that could be seen was a sad frown upon his face. His heart ached for what he longed for, only to feel the pain of reality that he'd never have them back, at least not in this life. Reminiscing through old memories of his father and Konan, he had not realized night was upon him and the rain had come to a stop. The clouds began to open and peeking through the tiny gaps in the sky was a red full moon.

He finally realized that he needed to get home, so he hopped down from his tree and made his way to the southern part of the village. In the morning, he would return home to Suna, where he belonged. His business here had been concluded.

On his way home, a ghostly figure stood before him in the middle of the road. He wore a black cloak, and an orange, swirling mask. Don stopped when he saw this figure, faintly recognizing it.

"Hey, I know you, you're Tobi!" Don said in surprise, realizing it was an Akatsuki member who should have been dead.

"I used to go by that name, but more people now know me as Obito Uchiha." he replied.

Don's eyes widened. He heard the story about how he had started a war against all the shinobi nations. He was a bit frightened, but held his ground. "How are you still alive?" he asked.

"Foolish child. I can never die. However I did not come here to harm you. I merely came here to test you." he replied.

"Test me? Test me on what?" Don asked.

"Just look into my eyes and you'll see." Obito said calmly.

Don shook his head, "No, I'm not going to fall for it. I know how powerful your sharingan is. Looking into it spells death for anyone dumb enough to look into it." Don said looking away from him.

In an instant, Obito approached Don lifting his face to meet his gaze, "It's time to see what kind of person you really are Don." he said.

Don looked deep into the sharingan and that was the last thing he saw before everything turned blood red and went blurry, eventually he passed out.

When he awoke, he found himself in a hospital bed. He looked around the room, and just then a nurse walked through the door.

"Ah, you're awake Don. Good to see you are doing fine. Someone found you passed out in the street. I take it you were exhausted from the mission you just returned from and weren't quite able to make it home, eh?" she said.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Your mission of course. You were sent on a long diplomatic mission for the past year, to travel the world and help gain allies for the village. We haven't seen you in what seems like forever." she said.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Diplomatic mission? For a year? Suna never sent me on such a mission." Don said.

"Don't be silly Don, Sunagakure doesn't have authority over you. Konohagakure does, because you're a leaf ninja." the nurse said happily.

Don's eyes widened, "What?"

"That's enough nurse, I think Don overexerted himself on his way home. He seems to be in shock. Would you mind leaving?" a familiar voice called out to the nurse, walking into the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lord Hokage, I didn't mean to pester him. I'll go tend to other patients." the nurse said bowing and leaving the room.

"Thank you." the man said. He stood tall with authority. His eyes were hazel, and his slightly wavy hair, dark brown. He wore a gray coat with black trimming over a white shirt and gray pants. On the back of his coat was a grizzly bear standing before an oak tree. When the nurse left, he closed the door behind him.

"Welcome..." he said but was cut off by Don jumping from his bed and hugging him.

"Dad? Is that really you?!" Don said confused, but happy, beginning to tear up.

The man wrapped his arms around Don and embraced him, "Yes, it's me son. You've been away for a whole year. I've missed you so much. I'm so happy you are home." he replied.

"I've missed you so much too dad." Don said giving him one last hug. He didn't understand how it was possible, but his dad was standing right before him. After ten long, painful, and lonely years, he was reunited with his father.

"Well, I hope you're fully rested. Ready to get out of here?" his father asked.

"Yes!" Don replied happily.

"So Don, tell me of your travels. How was it?" his father asked.

"I..." he tried to begin, he was so filled with anxiety over the whole situation he couldn't think straight. His brain began to spin and it was evident on his face.

"I can see you don't know where to begin. That must mean a lot happened. How about you start by taking a deep breath, gather your thoughts a little, start from the beginning and roll with it." his father said.

Don closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He started from the beginning from when he left Konoha, and ventured out to Sunagakure. From there he told the rest of his story how he made connections in Suna, Iwagakure, and then Kirigakure. He ended his story after he mentioned about leaving Kirigakure.

Don looked up above the road at the mountain which towered above the village. Carved on it were the hokage which had safeguarded the village. To Don's surprise, there was something different. In Tsunade's place was his father, Natsu.

Without thinking, Don said aloud, "Where's Tsunade?"

Don's father jumped in shock, "Tsunade? Why would you mention her? She's still off on her travels. She been nothing but bad luck for us in years past!"

Don looked at his father, "Oh, I didn't mean anything of it, I was just curious..." he said. Something didn't add up. Somehow reality had been altered. Don's father was the fifth hokage and not Tsunade. He didn't quite understand. He didn't want to draw suspicion by looking troubled, so he postponed thinking about it.

Don and his father made it home to the southern part of the village; the moon in the sky was full and there was not a cloud in the sky.

"And this is where we part for the night. I have some work I have to finish back at the office, so I will most likely crash there for the night. I'll see you in the morning, ok?" Natsu said hugging Don.

"Sure thing, dad." Don replied happily parting ways with his dad and entering the house. It was like it always had been. It seemed that so far the people in this world were changed, but not what was in it like houses.

He tried to lay in his bed and think about his current situation, but there were too many things distracting him from focusing. His dad was alive again. This was the biggest shock, it was so unexpected. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real, but it was.

Don got out of his bed and went to lay down on his roof. The last thing he could remember was seeing the blood red eyes of the sharingan before he blacked out. He knew the sharingan were capable of powerful genjutsu, but eventually, it'd wear off or he'd be able to break it. Genjutsu always had a slight feeling of fraud. A highly trained ninja could sense this and then work to break it. Thanks to his previous sensei, he was more than capable of telling the difference between genjutsu and the real thing, not matter how powerful the genjutsu was. The problem was, there was no sign that this was a genjutsu. Had he really been thrown into an alternate reality somehow? He deduced for now that he had been thanks to the power of the sharingan, but still wasn't sure if this was just an insensible genjutsu. He would just have to wait it out and see. After about an hour of intense thinking, he climbed back into his bed and fell asleep.

Don slept in until about 10 am. He stretched out in his bed and looked out the window at the blue sky which was filled with slow drifting clouds. He looked down at his left hand realizing he had forgotten he still wore his black fingerless glove. Taking a closer look, he saw that he did still have the hourglass which marked that he was a sand shinobi. It was peculiar no one had noticed it before. He slid his glove off and placed it in a drawer of his bedside table. He got dressed and headed into town to go buy a new glove for himself and brand it with the Konohagakure leaf.

When he obtained his new glove, he decided to walk around the village to see if anything had changed. Everything had not changed, aside from the mountain which had the hokage's faces carved on it. He froze when he heard a voice from the past call out to him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Don. The heartthrob of all Konoha. I heard rumors you were back in town. Time has not been good to you, you spoiled brat."

Don turned around to see a boy his age standing before him; he had black hair and blue eyes, donning kage robes and the usual disgruntled face.

"K...Kazuki?" Don asked shocked.

"Of course, you dumb ass!" he replied. Even in this reality, Kazuki was displeased with Don's presence.

"Why the hell are you here, shouldn't you be at home tending to your village?" Don said trying to retort.

"You really are an idiot. You know damn well I wouldn't be here unless it was for business with your father. Now if you'll excuse me, get out of my way before I fling you to the other side of the village." Kazuki said.

Don stepped to the side letting Kazuki pass, "Sachiko was right to hate your guts. I still don't understand how she ever trusted you enough to be our squad-mate."

Kazuki turned to face him, his face turned grim. "I could care less about that whiny, sexist bitch. I'm actually quite happy she's dead."

Don's heart sank, "She's what?" he exclaimed rushing at Kazuki and lifting him up by his shirt.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve or something?" he said swatting Don away. "Don't act so surprised. How could you have forgotten that Sachiko died years ago while out on a mission with us."

"Where's she buried?" Don asked.

"Your stupidity is really trying my nerves today, and here I thought I was going to have a good trip..." Kazuki said sighing. "I'll humor you. Her body was never found. We searched for days, but couldn't find her. They just engraved her name onto the MIA stone. Now I have business to attend to." he said turning back around to go see Don's father.

Don zoomed off to the MIA stone where he found Sachiko's name engraved into it. He sat in front of it for hours trying to contemplate how such a thing could have happened.

"Kazuki told me I might find you here. It's no surprise. It has been two years since she died..." Don father said walking up behind him.

Don turned to face his father, "Dad, how did this happen?" he asked completely shaken up.

"It's not your fault Don. She died doing her job." he said placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "That mission was a risky one from the start, but your sensei was very insistent your squad be selected. She was highly confident in y'alls abilities. We just never expected the ambush..."

"Ambush?" Don asked.

His father nodded, "You were knocked unconscious for the battle, but when you regained consciousness, Sachiko had been knocked into the swamp and everyone was looking for her desperately. You guys didn't stop for two days straight. Finally, y'all gave up. That's why I sent you on that long mission for a year, to clear your head."

Don stood up and walked away, "I'm going to be alone for a while, dad. I'll see you later." he said.

Natsu looked down in sadness. He knew how much his team meant to him. After Sachiko died, Kazuki defected and Don's mind was thrown into shambles. He had his issues with them, but in the end, he treated them like family. He had hoped traveling the world for a year would give him time to think and hopefully make some new friends to get him mind off the pain. From the story Don told him earlier, it had been successful to some extent. He still understood a year was not long enough to cope with the death of a loved one.

Don went to go lay under his favorite tree in the village. There he just closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

"Hey Don..." a mild, timid voice said to him.

Don looked up to see Hinata standing next to him with a smile on his face, her hands behind her back.

"Hey, Hinata..." he replied.

"I have something for you... It's a... welcome home present." she said timidly.

"Really? Thank you Hinata, you didn't have to though." he said modestly.

"You've been gone for a whole year. Of course I'd want to give you something." she said revealing a lunch box. "I made it myself." she said.

Don opened it up and looked at the delicious food inside. "You know me too well Hinata, you know how to exploit my love for food." he chuckled, "This looks delicious."

Hinata sat down next to him and pulled out some chop sticks. "Here, eat up." she said.

Don broke his chop sticks and began to eat. He felt twisted inside from the pain of learning about Sachiko's death, but also the happiness of Hinata's gift from her warm heart.

"So, how are you and Naruto doing?" he asked.

Hinata's face turned a deep red, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I thought you two were together." Don said.

"No... we..." she stuttered.

"Oh, you still haven't gotten a response from him, have you?" Don asked.

She shook her head no.

"Well, maybe he'll come around. Just be patient." he said.

Hinata nodded, and then wrapped her arm around his. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to snooze. Don continued to eat until he was finished. The air grew colder and Don looked up to see the sky was growing darker.

Don shook Hinata lightly to wake her. "Hinata, it's going to rain soon. It looks like it's going to be pretty bad. Let me bring you home." he said.

Hinata opened her eyes and sleepily nodded, yawning before she finally took Don's hand to help her to her feet.

Right as they reached the Hyuga residence, it began to pour down raining. Don smiled at Hinata and she turned a light red.

"Thank you Hinata." Don said.

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything. Today... hasn't been the best. Though, you made it a little better for me with the food you made and your company." he said hugging her.

Hinata turned a deep red, "You're welcome..." she said timidly trying not to pass out.

"I'll see you around Hinata, thanks again for everything!" Don said waving goodbye and running off into the rain.

As he ran, the sadness returned, and the more it returned, the more he found himself unconsciously running back to his tree. There he sat on one of the branches curled up and became lost in his sadness. Everything was happening too fast. It was a lot to take in and he was still trying to figure out his situation. A world without Sachiko seemed impossible, but here he was, without Sachiko. Trapped inside this reality, with no idea how to get out.

When it was finally night, he slowly returned home. He didn't go inside his house, he just sat on the roof and sulked more as the rain poured down on him. His senses were too drowned in sadness for him to notice another familiar face from his past standing behind him.

"Don?" a familiar voice called out to him.

Don's eyes widened, he immediately turned around to see Konan looking at him, smiling. His face turned pale. He scooted back a little, still shocked.

"Don, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." she said.

"There's no way... Konan... she's supposed to be dead." he thought to himself.

"What are you doing here?" Don asked.

"I got your letter, it said to come see you when you finally returned home from your mission. Don't you remember?" she asked confused.

"Oh... right. I remember now." Don said playing along.

He stood up shakily, still unable to believe Konan, of all people, was standing before him. He walked up to her slowly and grabbed her hands. She blushed and looked away smiling. She was real, he felt her pulse, he felt her warmth. Don tilted her face to meet his, and kissed her deeply, holding her in a tight embrace.

When he finally broke from her, she blushed a deep red. "I didn't think you missed me that much. It hasn't been that long since the last time we saw each other." she said.

"Konan. You just don't even know..." Don said hugging her tight. "Come, let's go inside and get dried off." he said leading her off the roof and into his home.

Don sat in the living room while Konan took a hot bath. After while, she walked out in a fluffy robe, with a towel wrapped around her hair. "You're turn." she said smiling at him.

Don smiled back and went to go take his bath. He laid in the hot water, leaning his head back trying to take it all in. He hoped this would be the last surprise this world had to offer. His heart couldn't take anymore. First his father is alive, then Sachiko is dead, and Konan is alive as well. He felt so nervous, he didn't know what to do. For now, all he could do is breathe and try to be patient and let things play out. He had only been here for a couple of days, yet so much had already happened.

After a while, he got out the tub, dried off and joined Konan in the living room. When he saw her, his heart melted and he couldn't help but smile. Konan was sleeping on the couch. She looked like a sleeping angel. He shook her lightly to wake her. "Konan, let's go to bed ok? The bed is more comfortable than the couch."

Konan groaned sleepily.

Don shook his head smiling and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively and cuddled to him. He brought her to the guest room and laid her on the bed. Konan opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Put on your pajamas and go to sleep. I'll take care of your robe after you've changed." he said leaving the room to go change himself. As Don changed into his pajamas, a knock came from his door. He opened the door to see Konan; she held up her robe and towel.

"Here." she said smiling at him.

"Thanks." he replied taking the clothes to the laundry room. He returned to Konan and kissed her goodnight and went to sleep. A couple hours later, Don felt Konan crawl into his bed with him. He opened his eyes to see she was looking up at him.

"I hope you don't mind. I just, don't want to be alone..." she said.

Don smiled at her, "I don't mind." he replied wrapping his arms around her and getting comfortable. He kissed her and cuddled to her; his heart beginning to pound hard. This was a feeling he never thought he would ever feel again.

The thunder rolled across the sky, the rain fell upon the village. Konan was back in his arms. It was like old times. Times which Don never thought he'd experience again. Maybe things weren't so bad here...

"Konan?" Don said.

"Hmm?" she mumbled back.

There was a pause. Don thought back to the note she had written him; the words she expressed to him in it. He remembered the feeling of regret that he had never settled things with her. How he had just left without saying goodbye. In some way, he felt like this was his second chance and to somehow fix things with her.

"I love you." he said. He felt as if his heart had burst open.

Konan hugged him tight, "I love you too Don. I meant what I said when we first met. What is left of my heart is all yours. Please guard it well." she said.

"I promise I will." Don replied kissing her.

Konan cuddled to Don's chest with a contented smile on her face. Don had the same emotion expressed on his face. His mountain of regret felt like it was slowly beginning to melt away. His mind quickly forgot about everything that troubled him. All that mattered was the girl he held in his arms. If this was truly a dream, he never wanted to wake up from it.

Early in the morning, Don was in the kitchen making breakfast. Don's father, Natsu, walked into the room. He yawned and stretched, then sniffed the air.

"Everything smells absolutely delicious!" his father said.

Don smiled as his flipped his omelets and pancakes. "Good morning to you too, dad." he replied.

Konan, who was half awake, followed the smell of food to the open kitchen-dining room where Don and his father were. "Don, what are you cooking that smells so delicious?" she asked as she too stretched and yawned. She walked up to Don, and hugged him from behind, not noticing that Don's father was in the room.

Don turned a deep red realizing that his father didn't know who Konan was and that she had stayed here for the night.

"Don, who is this?" his father asked in shock.

"This is someone who I met on my travels over the course of the year. She means a great deal to me, dad. I couldn't wait to introduce you two." Don said happily. He turned to Konan who was still sleepily clinging to Don's waist. "Konan, there's someone I want you to meet." he said softly.

"Really? Who?" she asked still half awake.

"My dad." he replied.

"Your dad?" she said as that phrase seemed to jolt her awake. She frantically looked up to see Don's father looking at her. She realized she looked like a wreck and tried to fix her hair.

"Nice to meet you young lady. My name is Natsu." he said extending his hand.

"My name's Konan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir." she said timidly.

"Well, Don. You found yourself quite a beautiful flower here." Natsu cooed.

Konan turned red as did Don. "Yeah... she's very pretty." Don agreed.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up for breakfast; I'll be right back." Konan said kissing Don on the cheek and running off to the bathroom to get freshened up.

Natsu smiled and nodded his head in approval. "Definitely have yourself quite the catch, my son." he said. "Though, her name and face do look awfully familiar. Where's she from?"

"Amegakure. She was the first person I met when I arrived there." Don said casually.

Natsu's eyes widened, "Now I know! She's part of the Akatsuki! Don, what the hell are you thinking, bringing in someone like that into our home? She's a wanted criminal!"

Don glared up at his dad, "I already know that! I don't care! She's a wonderful girl, and I love her!"

"If anyone finds out about your relationship with her, you will be in some serious trouble. It would potentially make the village look bad." his father replied.

"Oh really, how?" Don barked back.

"We'd be viewed as harboring a wanted criminal." he said. "Many of our allies might cease to be our allies over this!"

"Oh come on, dad! The war is over! The Akatsuki has been dissolved away leaving only her as the lone survivor! She's not like the others, she actually cares about the people in this world!" Don argued.

"I can't allow Konan to be here any longer. After we eat, you will escort her back to Amegakure. She is never to return to Konoha." Natsu said.

"What?! That's not fair!" Don shouted.

"I'm not saying this as your father. I'm saying this as the hokage of this village." he retorted in his most serious tone.

Don looked down in sadness. He remembered when he was a child, when his father spoke in that tone, it meant it was final. He served the food on the table and sighed sadly. "Fine... come eat. The food is ready." he said in a weak tone.

The whole time, Konan was standing behind the corner listening to their argument. A tear fell down her face. She wiped it away and tried to pretend she didn't hear anything. She walked around the corner, putting on a fake smile. She sat at the table next to Don. "Everything smells great! Thank you Don!" she said.

"Thanks..." he mumbled. He picked at his food some. He couldn't find himself to eat it.

"Don, didn't I teach you to not play with your food at the table? Stop playing around and eat!" his father said in a strict tone.

Don cut up his food and shoved it in his mouth chewing furiously. When everyone was done eating he took everyone's dishes and began to clean them. Konan immediately followed him and helped. Natsu sat in his chair and watched as the couple cleaned dishes. They did not say a word to each other, though he could tell Konan was concerned for Don who was doing a bad job of hiding his emotions.

When they were done, he leaned over and whispered into Konan's ear, "Hey baby, would you mind stepping outside for a minute? I need to ask my dad something." he said it in a sincere voice and she nodded and went outside.

He turned to his father just glaring at him.

"I know what you are thinking. We already had our discussion. I'm sorry son, but in this situation, I need tot do what is in the best interest for the village, even if it means compromising my only son's love life. It's nothing against her, I promise. I can tell she is a fine woman, worthy of being your lover, but because of her past, it complicates things." Natsu said calmly.

"That's all I needed to hear." Don said joining Konan outside. He broke the news to Konan telling her that he had to escort her home and she could never return to the village. He embraced her as she cried. He dried her tears and went to go help her pack. Konan walked out the house before him; right as he was about to walk out, his father called him over.

"Just so you know. I don't want you seeing Konan, or contacting Konan anymore. Consorting with a criminal will only cause trouble. Is that understood?" his father asked.

"Yes..." Don reluctantly replied and then left.

Don and Konan finally reached Amegakure. They both stood and stared at the village entrance and then looked at each other.

"I guess this is goodbye?" Konan said.

"Yeah..." Don said.

Konan flung herself onto Don kissing him one last time. Don embraced her and kissed her back.

"I love you, Don." Konan said sadly as tears began to form.

"I love you too, Konan." Don replied hugging her tight. He wiped away her tears one last time. "Goodbye, Konan. I wish there was a way to fix all this, but there isn't..." Don said.

"I know..." Konan replied.

"No matter what, my heart will always be yours." Don said.

Konan smiled, "And mine will always be yours."

Don watched as she entered the village, never to see her again. When he turned around, darkness filled his heart. He felt like running away. Why should he be a leaf shinobi anymore when it would compromise the one he loved? He could just run away again like he had done in the past. The more the thought about it, the more he realized that his father would hunt him down and kill him personally if he did that. He returned to Konoha with sadness in his heart.

The next few days, Don sulked around Konoha. He felt bored, unable to think of what to do. He had no motivation to do anything. He wanted Konan by his side, only he knew he couldn't have what he wanted. While he was laying under his favorite tree, a carrier pigeon landed right by him. He looked down at its leg noticing a note. He took it a read it. His dad required his presence in his office immediately.

Don entered his father's office to find he was signing some papers; typical of the hokage.

"Nice to see you got the message, Don." his father said.

"What did you want to see me for?" Don replied trying to hide his anger he still had with his father.

"I just received a letter the other day that Amegakure's leader wants to form an allegiance with us. The leader offered to come to us as a sign of good will. I sent them a reply saying I'd be all for it." his father said.

"Ok, and what does that have to do with me?" Don asked.

"When the village leader arrives, I want you to be our diplomat. You'll be in charge of greeting the leader and other guests, at the village gate and assuring that they are taken care of. Of course, I will assign you a staff team to ensure things go smoothly." his father replied.

"That's bazaar, I didn't think Amegakure had a village leader. I thought it was controlled by various crime syndicates." Don said confused.

"As did I, but apparently, the person who contacted me claiming to be the village leader said that the syndicates have been driven out and the village is under their control. Our intelligence has proven that claim to be true." the his father replied.

"Do we even know who this person is?" Don asked.

"No. Whoever this person is, has done a good job of keeping our intel off their trail. We will just have to wait and see when they get here, who they are." his father replied. "In the mean time, I'll let you start making arrangements for our guests. They should be arriving in a few days."

Don nodded and left. He headed home to start making plans for his guests. When he got home, he passed up the bookshelf but stopped to take a second look at it. On it was a scrapbook. He picked it up and looked through it. Inside of it were tons of pictures from when Don was born up until the present. There were pictures of him playing at the park, him from when he was at the academy, and birthday parties. His heart sank knowing that these would have been his memories if his dad had still be alive. There were so many things about this world which made Don happy, but at the same time, tugged at his heartstrings in the worst way.

He placed the book back and noticed another scrapbook. It had been labeled as Natsu's personal scrapbook. "Oh, hello there. What do we have here?" Don said to himself as he picked the book up and began to go through it. Inside were many pictures of his dad in his youth. When Don got to the sections of Don's father in his prime, an age which was a few years older than him, he noticed a beautiful, blonde haired woman, who had a large bust, with him in almost all the pictures. The two looked like they were in love by the way the held each other. She looked very familiar. As he was flipping through there happened to be a spec of dirt in the shape of a diamond that was on one of the pictures of the woman. It coincidentally was located on her forehead and that's when it hit him. "No way..." Don said in shock, but couldn't help but laugh.

The next few days, Don prepared for the arrival of Amegakure's leader. The best hotel was booked, conference rooms were booked, and security detail was assigned. Don was given the final heads up as to when the leader would be arriving, which would be tomorrow around nine o'clock. He went to bed early that night and woke up early the next morning to make sure everything was prepared as it should be.

Don and two assistants stood by the gates of the village around eight thirty. They waited a while and finally they could see a small group of people off in the distance approaching them.

"Looks like our guests are here." Don said to his assistants.

There were four ANBU surrounding a person who wore what seemed to be kage clothing. Taking a closer look, it was indeed kage clothing, hat and all. The hat was in the same design only the color which made it distinct was gray. The word rain was written on the center of it to show this was the kage from Amegakure. The robes were white, with a gray trimming.

When the group got closer, Don bowed greeting them. "Welcome esteemed guests. I'm sure you are a bit tired from your trip here. If you will allow me to show you to your..." he began but was cut off by one of the ANBU raising a sword to his throat. Don's assistants also drew their weapons prepared to strike down the ANBU who threatened Don's life.

The leader smiled and lifted her hand, signaling the ANBU to back down. The ANBU and the leader walked past Don and he caught a glimpse of the physique of the leader. The leader was female, and as she walked by Don, she smirked. They did not say a word and walked away, heading in the direction of the Hokage's office building.

"That was weird..." Don said.

"Yes it was, and very rude." one of his assistants said.

"Well, let's stick to our job. We need to follow them. We are their babysitters while they stay here." he said starting after them.

They finally caught up to them at Don's father's office. When Don walked into the room, there was the Amegakure leader with her bodyguards, standing in front of his father. The leader took off their hat to reveal blue hair had been hidden under it.

"No way..." Don said aloud as he walked in.

The leader turned to face him; it was indeed Konan. She just smiled at him and didn't say a word.

"What in interesting surprise. If I didn't know any better, I'd think this is some elaborate joke." Natsu said.

Konan turned her attention to Don's father and bowed politely, "It is an honor to be in your presence, Lord Hokage. I am thankful you accepted my request to meet today." she said.

"Konan, what is this? What are you doing here? Are you really the village leader? Say something!" he demanded.

"If you don't mind, Lord Hokage, may we speak alone? Just the two of us?" she asked politely, then turned to face Don and smiled at him smugly, "Diplomatic negotiations are no place for children, after all."

"Child?! What the hell does that mean?!" Don exclaimed.

"Don, shut up and leave before you say anything that would compromise this meeting." Natsu said.

"But dad!" Don shouted. Before he could say anymore, he was dragged off by his assistants followed by Konan's ANBU.

When they were finally out the room, Don shook them off and walked away.

"Where are you going, sir?" one of his assistants asked.

"None of your damn business." Don said angrily as he walked off.

Don went to his favorite tree in the village to think. "What the hell was up with that?" he thought to himself. "She acted like she didn't even know me. Was that really her?" He eventually dozed off to sleep for the rest of the day. He was angry with the way he had been treated that he didn't care anymore. He'd let his assistants handle their guests.

The day drew on and it was finally evening. Don felt someone kick him in his side and heard someone talk to him. "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of me?"

Don looked up to see Konan looking at him displeased. He looked back at her with just as much of a displeased face. "What the hell do you want?" he asked angrily.

"For you to do your job, as you were assigned to do. This is highly unprofessional. You're lucky my talk with your father went over so well, or I would just have called off the whole thing with the way you behaved back there." Konan replied.

"Me?! I'm not the one who had her bodyguard hold a sword to my throat, ready and willing to take my life, then disrespected me by pretending they didn't know me! So don't talk to me about being unprofessional!" Don retorted standing up to look at her eye to eye.

Konan slapped him across the face. "Business is business. I did what I had to do. Diplomacy isn't a game, Don. Whining like a child isn't going to help your case. I'm feeling in a good mood, so I'm going to give you a second chance. Do you want to escort me home or are you going to let a young lady walk home by herself?" Konan asked.

Don rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine." he reluctantly said.

Don accompanied her to the hotel where he had booked her room. He stopped when they were outside the door to her room.

"This is goodbye, for now." Don said.

"I'd feel more comfortable if you joined me for a while to discuss some things." Konan said.

"I have to decline. It wouldn't be appropriate for a childish ambassador such as myself to be alone wit ha leader of a village, such as yourself. It would be viewed as too unprofessional." Don replied.

"Only if one were to assume it was for personal matters and not business." she replied.

"Well, Konan, is it personal, or is it business?" he asked.

She smiled at him, "A little of both." she replied. "Now won't you come in?"

"I guess so." he replied allowing Konan to show him into her room.

It was the best room in all the hotel. The room was so big that it took up half the floor. Her guards stayed in the room across the hall from her to allow privacy. When Don entered the room and heard the door close behind him, Konan took his hand and led him to the back bedroom.

"Where are we going?" Don asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Konan replied.

When they entered the bedroom, Konan closed the door behind her. She then approached Don and cuddled up to his chest. Don wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I did what I needed to do. Please don't take it personally. Being a leader of a village, you have to follow by a whole different set of etiquette." Konan said, and as she said it her robe fell to the ground. She looked up at Don intently.

"I feel confused. One second we're never allowed to see each other again, the next, you're showing up at my doorstep as a village leader. Please explain to me what is going on." Don said.

Konan finished undressing and slipped into bed. "Come join me and I'll explain." she said smiling at him happily.

Don removed his clothes and joined her in bed. He held her close in his arms and for a while they just stared into each others faces. Don stroked Konan's hair gently making Konan blush slightly.

"So are you going to tell me what is going on?" Don asked.

Konan jumped a little, "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot." she replied. "Yes, I am really the leader of the Rain village now. My official title is Amekage, now. As to how and why? Well, I knew it needed to be done for many reasons, mainly so I could better continue the work we started when you lived in Amegakure for a while. However another benefit I figured out to becoming leader was opening peace negotiations with your father, becoming allies, and then we'd be able to see each other again."

Don smiled, but it was short lived when he realized something, "That's nice and all, but I don't think it would look good if a kage was having an affair with someone from another country, especially someone with no rank." he said.

"It's only an affair if the two people in the relationship are not in love." she replied. "Are you saying you don't love me?" she asked looking at him seriously.

"Konan, don't go putting words in my mouth. You know I love you. Just as you gave me your heart, I gave you mine." he replied.

She hugged him tight, "Well good, then it's not an affair. As far as I'm concerned, or anyone else, I've found my soul mate."

Don and Konan kissed. They had missed each other's warmth and each other's touch. Now, there was hope for their relationship to continue. Konan rolled on top of Don and cuddled to his chest. Don wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him, their hearts beating as one. No one could ever replace this moment.

In the morning, Don opened his eyes to see Konan was still cuddled to him. He found that she drooled a little on him; he just smiled at her. She slept so peacefully and he wouldn't dare disturb her. She moaned sleepily and cuddled to him closer. She then looked up at Don to see him smiling at her making her blush.

"Good morning, Don." Konan said hugging him. "How long have you been watching me?" she asked.

"Good morning to you too, Konan. And not long." he said wiping the drool from her mouth. "You hungry?" he asked.

Konan nodded yes and Don kissed her on the forehead. "Alright, if you get dressed, I'll take you out for breakfast ok?" he said.

"I would love that." she said rolling off of him and out of bed to get get dressed.

A few minutes later, Don and Konan left their hotel quietly together. Don took her down the road to a tiny cafe. Fortunately enough, no one knew who Konan was so to them, it was Don being the Leaf's heartthrob taking yet another beautiful girl out on a date, so no unneeded attention was to be drawn to him. They ordered their food and enjoyed their meal. Konan was having fun, but Don was having the time of his life. The part of him that had died when he left Konan many years ago, we slowly beginning to come back to life. Right now, he could care less if this was some sort of dream or not, he didn't want it to end.

When breakfast was over, Don escorted Konan back to her room so she could get dressed and prepared for another long day of negotiations. Don, along with her guards, escorted her to the conference room Don had booked for her meetings with her father. While Don waited for negotiations to be done for the day, he laid o the roof and watched the clouds drift by in the sky.

It took about a week, but negotiations had finally come to a complete close. Amegakure was now officially and ally of Konoha. As such, Don was made the ambassador between the two villages. A day after the negotiations had finished, Don was summoned to his father's office.

"Sit down son, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Natsu said.

Don took a seat in front of his father, "What is it, dad?" he asked.

"You look like you could use a vacation. How does sending you to Amegakure for a while sound?" he asked.

Don's eyes widened, "Seriously?" Don exclaimed.

"Very much so. I figure it would be a nice reward for all your hard work and as a celebration for obtaining new friends." he said smiling.

"Ok, dad, you are definitely trying too hard, what is it? What's the real reason behind this?" Don asked smirking at him.

"She's a very fine woman Don. I'm not stupid. I see sending you off to be in Amegakure for a while a perfect opportunity for you to build a relationship with not only the people over there but with Konan as well. The game has certainly changed, despite her past, I know things will certainly be better for everyone. I see the way you look at her, and I can tell she means a lot to you." Don's father said.

"Yeah... she really does." Don replied smiling.

"I haven't seen that kind of look on someone's face since I the time when I first met your mother." his father said.

Don just laughed.

"Just be careful, because what you do might cause trouble politically. As long as you don't rush things, and get in over your head, you will be ok. Quite honestly, if she became your wife, I'd be quite proud, because I can see she has the same look in her eyes when she looks at you. That my son, is impossible to fake." Natsu said.

Don smiled, "Thanks dad. I'll do my best, but how long are you sending me away for?" he asked.

"From what I hear, there's quite a bit of work to do over there. It won't be a simple task, so I'll be assigning you to stay over there for one year. That ought to give you plenty of time to take care of what you need to. Just don't forget to keep in touch, and don't worry, you're allowed to visit from time to time on your off days. Oh, and one more thing." his father said.

"What is it?" Don asked.

"You may want to hurry home and pack your things. Konan is leaving soon and she doesn't know I've assigned you this mission yet." Natsu said.

Don bolted from his chair and out the door. He zoomed home and packed his things, grabbing as many essentials as he could. He zoomed out the house and to the western gates of the village. He left the village behind him and off in the distance he could see Konan and her guard. Konan and her guard turned to face him when he caught up.

"Don, what are you doing?" she asked.

"My father forgot to tell you. I've been assigned to another mission." he replied.

"What kind of mission?" she asked.

"I'm to live in Amegakure for a year and help you with rebuilding it." he said smiling.

Konan's eyes widened and shined with happiness. "I'm don't believe it! I'm so excited!" she said hugging him.

"Me too. One whole year, being together with you. Just us, rebuilding Amegakure. I wouldn't have it any other way." Don said.

"I wouldn't either." Konan replied. She extended her hand to Don and he took it. Together they walked back to Amegakure, accompanied by her guards.

Don and Konan accomplished a lot over the course of the year. The standard of life around Amegakure was beginning to improve and it would continue to improve as long as everything went according to plan over the course of the next five to ten years. Over that time, Don was given dual citizenship in Amegakure, and was appointed captain of her guard. Unfortunately, his time in Amegakure came to a close. It had been a whole year since he had begun his mission with them. Don and Konan stood outside the village gates embracing one another.

"I don't want to see you go, Don." Konan said sadly.

"I know, Konan, but my time here is up. I have to get home and report back to my dad." he said hugging her tightly.

"I know, I just really liked having you stay with me this whole time. Being away from you is going to be really hard." she said.

"I know, but don't think this is goodbye forever. We'll still be able to see each other from time to time, just not everyday like we have been this past year." Don replied.

Konan folded her arms and pouted. Don leaned in and kissed her. Konan blushed and kissed him back.

"So when do you think we will be together again, you know... like how we have been for the past year?" she asked.

"When our work here is done, when you are satisfied with how things are in this village, and when you are ready to pass the torch to someone else and move to Konoha." Don replied.

Once again, Konan had to watch the love of her life leave her and disappear into the pouring rain.

Years went by, Konan and Don kept in touch but only managed to see each other when the chunin exams occurred. When he had returned home after spending a year in Amegakure, he had been promoted to jonin. He then spent the next five years trying to become a squad leader, however he had no success. Just like Kakashi, he had employed a series of challenges to test genin's character, but year after year, they failed.

Don stood before a group of exhausted and beaten genin. They lie on the ground trying to catch their breath. "A valiant effort, but you guys don't have what it takes to become genin. You by far have been the worst squad of ninja I've ever had the displeasure of testing. I actually don't feel bad for knocking you guys back to the academy." he said distastefully.

"What? You're demoting us to academy students?" one of the genin said jumping up to his feet angrily.

"Yeah. You heard me. Get over it." Don said.

"Why you! Forget you! I don't need to be your student! I'll show you I'm worthy of being a genin!"" the student shouted throwing shurikin at Don.

Don yawned and disappeared when the shurikin struck him. The genin looked around.

"Where did he go? I bet he ran away like a coward." he said smirking.

Don's hand reached up from the ground and pulled him down only leaving his head on the surface. Don reappeared before him. "I'm beginning to think they will make anyone a genin now a days. Back in my day, you actually had to earn the right to be called genin. If you had been an academy student in my day, you'd still be stuck in the preschool classes." Don said.

"Go to hell old man!" the genin said. The other students just watched.

"Pathetic insult and it only makes you look worse, being beaten by an old man and all." Don retorted then walking off. "Feel free to dig your friend out whenever you feel like it." he said waving goodbye to his failed students.

When he was exiting the forest, a familiar voice called out to him, "You were really hard on those kids, especially the loud mouthed one."

"Spoiled brats don't know a damn thing about life. They are better off being academy students until they understand what being a shinobi really means." Don replied.

"And what is that?" the person asked.

"It's about putting something greater than yourself, before yourself. A cause, a person or people, a village. The willingness to plunge yourself into darkness for the sake of protecting such things." Don replied.

"Sounds like you talk from experience." the person giggled.

"No, but it's how I feel on the subject and it's something I'd act upon if given the opportunity." Don said walking up to the person and kissing them.

"That's quite a hello." Konan said blushing.

"It has been five long years since I last saw your beautiful face. You've grown into a fine looking young woman." he said.

"Oh Don, stop. You always had a way with words." she replied.

Don smiled at her and took her hand. "So what brings you to Konoha?" he asked.

"I'm here, because of the terms you set before you left Amegakure five years ago..." she replied. "I stepped down from the position of Amekage. I handed it over to someone I could trust and the village is not only prospering, but in the hands of someone who will make it continue to prosper."

"You mean?" Don began, and Konan nodded.

"Yes, I'm hear to stay... I've already gotten permission from your father." she replied.

Don picked Konan up and spun around. It was one of the happiest days of his life.

It wasn't long after that day, Don and Konan were wed, becoming husband and wife. They lived together in Konoha happily. Not too long after their marriage, Konan became pregnant with a baby girl.

One day, Don was escorting Konan to the hospital because their daughter's due date was very soon. As Don and Konan were approaching the hospital, a horse drawn carriage had lost control, the horse running full speed ahead toward Don and Konan. Don saw it was about to hit Konan and pushed her out the way, but in doing so, he was run into by the horse and carriage. The horse and carriage was long gone, leaving Don badly bruised and knocked unconscious on the ground.

"Don! Don!" Konan screamed with tears in her eyes kneeling down by her husband, "Please, somebody help me! Somebody..." she then began to strain. The emotional stress of seeing he husband practically run over was causing contractions. She soon fell to the ground in pain, next to Don. A medical team quickly rushed to the scene and brought the two to the hospital.

Don drifted around in the darkness of his mind for a bit until he opened his eyes.

"You're finally awake. I hope you've been enjoying your dream world I created for you." Obito said.

"So my suspicions were correct. It really is all a dream. Why am I here?" Don asked.

"Well, I've been watching you since I sent you here. You were just part of an experiment. I wanted to see how things would run if I sent the whole world into this world I created." Obito said.

"You created?" Don asked.

"Yes. However I didn't know that the people I send here have a slight effect on it. Their heart's desire will shape the world subtly." he said.

"What do you mean?" Don asked.

"Think back to right before I sent you here, what was your greatest inner most desire?" he asked.

Don thought back for a while. He remembered that day, the sadness he felt. "I was thinking of my dad... and of Konan..." he said.

"As such, your inner desire from them brought them back." Obito said.

"This is so cruel..." Don said falling to his knees.

"How is it cruel?" Obito said.

"You put me in a world that isn't real! You played on my emotions and my inner most sadness and regret!" Don shouted.

"That may be true, but the whole purpose of this world is for people to be happy. From that pain, came happiness. Thanks to me, thanks to this world. I took what made you the saddest, what hurt you the most, what caused you the most regret, and wiped it all away. You can't deny, you've been the happiest you've ever been in your whole life being here." Obito said.

Don turned away. Obito walked up to him offering Don his hand. Don took it and Obito helped him to his feet. "I've seen more than enough of what I wanted to see from you in my experiment. I came here to offer you a trip back home. All you have to do is look into my eyes and you will be sent back home. You will be the same age you were when you entered this realm and you will be in the correct time period. It will be as if you never had left."

Don looked at his feet, he thought long and hard. He now felt conflicted. It was true, he didn't want to be in this dream world, but at the same time, it also made him happy. He felt like all his sadness and regret, he was making up for it here. He saw little reason to leave. However, there were people in the real world he had obligations to: Sachiko, Temari, Rain, Gazu, both Konoha and Suna. That is where he belonged.

"What if I chose to stay here?" Don asked.

"That is up to you." Obito replied.

"Until I died..." Don added.

"Then you would die along with this world and you would not return to the real world. You would just disappear from existence in the real world." Obito said.

Don clinched his fists. It was a tough decision. To continue living with what his heart had always longed for, or to get back to reality.

"The choice is yours, Don. I can't promise you another offer like this. If you choose not to return home, you may die here." Obito said.

Don closed his eyes and then lifted his head furiously. He opened his eyes.

When Don opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a hospital bed.

"Where... where am I?" Don asked the nurse who was in the room.

"You're in a hospital. You got hit pretty hard. Fortunately you were just left with some major bruises. Nothing that can't be fixed up easily." the nurse replied.

Don's eyes widened, "What about Konan? Where is she?!" he exclaimed.

"She began to go into labor right after you where hit, due to large amounts of stress. We are taking care of her as we speak." the nurse replied.

Don hopped out of bed and grabbed his shoulder in pain.

"Please, sir, lay back down, you aren't in the best shape to be moving around." the nurse said.

"The hell I do. I need to be with my wife!" Don shouted storming off.

He found Konan's room to find her sleeping peacefully. He went and sat at her bedside. He grabbed her hand and held it close, kissing it. She turned her head toward him and opened her eyes.

"Don... thank goodness you are still alive. I thought... I thought..." she said beginning to tear up.

"Aww, baby. It'll take more than getting hit by a horse and buggy to kill me." Don replied wiping away her tears.

"There's someone I want to introduce you to..." Konan said.

"Who might that be?" Don asked.

Konan reached over her side and handed Don their newborn child. Don smiled greatly.

"She's beautiful, just like you!" Don said.

Konan blushed. "Remember she's half yours, so it wasn't just all me." she replied.

"What should we name her?" Don asked.

"I was thinking of some names, how does Karasu sound?" Konan asked.

"Sounds like a perfectly fine name to me." Don replied.

And just like that, sixteen years flew by. Karasu grew to look so much like Konan. She was also one of the best students in her class; it also helped that her parents taught her everything she knew. At a young age, she was already trying out advanced jutsu her parents knew. Of all the jutsu she was exposed to, she excelled in the wood, shadow, and origami jutsu she learned from her parents.

Don had never forgotten about the offer he turned down from Obito. A small part of him regretted it, but he was still happy living in a world where he was happy. In this world, he belonged; outside of here, he was just a shadow. He sat under his favorite tree thinking deeply about things. Little did he know a storm was on the horizon.

It was late April, the skies were drifting across the sky, the sun was shining, and the temperature was just right. Don and Konan were celebrating Karasu's sixteenth birthday. It was an extravagant party thrown by her friends and family. The party went on for a few hours and it finally came time to open gifts. She received many nice things ranging from clothes, ninja gear, and books since she liked to read a lot.

"Well I think that's it. I think we can call this party a success." Don said happily. Just then he heard a commotion and saw a hooded masked woman standing in the middle of the crowd.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Don asked.

"Just an old soul come to bring a gift to the honorable hokage's granddaughter." an old feminine voice said from under the hood.

"Oh, well that's very kind of you. Karasu, don't forget to say thank you." he said.

Karasu nodded and happily took the gift from the woman. "Thank you miss." she said.

The old woman smirked as Karasu began to open the box. Something didn't feel right, and Don didn't know what. When Karasu lifted the lid on the box, Don noticed a string attached to the top. Right as the lid was lifted, Don rushed at Karasu pushing her aside as a bomb went off.

"Dad!" Karasu shouted.

"Don!" Konan shouted.

When the smoke cleared, Don was on one knee coughing. "I'm... ok. I've been through worse." he said.

The woman removed her hood and mask to reveal what lay under it. Don looked up at the woman and his face turned pale. The woman with magenta hair, brown eyes, and soft complexion.

"S...Sachiko? I thought you were..." Don began.

"Dead?! Guess again, Don! I'm quite alive!" she replied.

"What the hell was with that bomb right now. Are you trying to kill someone?" Don asked.

"Of course I am you dumb ass. I'm trying to kill the daughter of that whore you married! I want to inflict as much pain on you as you did me!" she screamed.

Everyone stood in shock at the scene, unable to move out of fear. Konan stepped forward, "Don't you know it's unwise to harm a mother grizzly's cub? It's like begging for a death wish." she said.

Don held his wife back, "Stand down Konan. I'll handle this." he said.

"What did I do to hurt you? I don't understand!" Don said.

"I gave you my heart and you left me for dead you cold bastard! You are worse than scum!" she shouted.

"Sachiko, we looked for you day and night when you disappeared. I swear to you! They had to force me to stop searching for you because I wouldn't stop." Don said.

"I don't believe you! You always ignored my feelings for you. You were too busy running around with other women to notice me!" she shouted.

Don sighed, "Look Sachiko, I'm sorry any pain I've caused you. I truly mean it. Can you forgive me?" he said earnestly looking into her eyes.

Sachiko's eyes which were filled with rage simmered down and for a second it looked like she was going to. She then smirked devilishly. "Not until I've taken your life." she said shooting towards Don with great speed.

Don blocked her attack and as he held her off, he looked back at Konan, "Get everyone to safety. I'll handle her!"

Konan nodded and evacuated everyone. It took only a few seconds before Don and Sachiko were alone staring each other down.

"Sachiko, please, talk to me. I don't understand. I'm so confused right now. If you were alive, why did it take you this long to come back? Answer me!" Don said holding up his guard.

"That day, the mission when I feel into the swamp and wasn't able to be found... I suffered amnesia when I was finally recovered by some farming family. Their son had found me while he was out in his boat. For a couple of years, I didn't know who I was, were I came from, nothing. When I finally recovered my memory, I was excited, I'd finally return home, to friends, family, and above all else, you." he face then grew more with rage, "But the night I finally made it to the village, I saw you and Konan together. I saw how happy you were to see her and I saw you two kiss. I could only watch helplessly as you carried her into your house and had sex with her. Don't deny it because I know you did! I felt so betrayed. You forgot all about me, you didn't care. You shacked up with some ex-convict! So I decided I would leave, and remain dead to the world. I would bide my time, I would devise a plan to not only kill you but do it slowly by targeting the ones closest to you. So letting you get married to that harlot and having her bear you a child was all part of my plan." she said.

"You can't harm them, not while I'm around." Don said.

Sachiko began to laugh maniacally, "Don, you dense fool! Did you forget what my specialty was? It was laying traps! I knew you'd have everyone evacuated so you could have your one on one time with me. I know you all too well! You're just following my plan as calculated!"

"What?!" Don exclaimed.

"There's nothing you can do, other than suffer the same torture I did for all these years!" she said, then laughing as explosions could be heard in the distance.

Don went to run toward them but Sachiko got in the way, "Forget who your opponent is?" she cooed.

Don grunted, "I never thought I'd have to face you Sachiko, but I warn you, if you make me fight you, for the sake of my wife and daughter, I will kill you."

"Heh, that's all I needed to hear. You just prove my convictions true." she replied.

"Is that what this was all about? Convictions you had for me?" Don said.

"It is more than that, and I don't need to repeat myself. You broke my heart, you left me for dead, you threw me away, and now... now I want you dead." Sachiko said as she charged for Don.

Don charged as well. As they fought, multiple explosions went off in the village and he could hear the sound of screaming and agony. Sachiko managed to swipe him with her kunai.

"Don't get distracted Don, you might wind up dead, just like your wife and daughter." Sachiko taunted.

Don refocused on her and continued his fighting. They were about evenly matched, he didn't seem like he was going to be able to kill her, but nor was she going to get the upper hand on him. Time seemed to slow down for Don as he fought, he frantically scanned for openings in which to exploit, but nothing.

Then after a few minutes of fighting, by some miracle, he found one. He knocked Sachiko back and extended his shadow to meet hers. Don's shadow engulfed Sachiko.

"Enjoy my shadow nightmare jutsu. It will make you think twice before messing with me or my family ever again..." he said walking away from Sachiko's screams of terror. "I'm sorry..."

Don ran all over the village trying to find Konan and Karasu. When he passed by the hokage's office building, he was flagged down by them. They had taken refuge in Don's father's office. He rejoined them and hugged them tightly.

"Is she gone?" Konan asked.

"Yes. She won't be bothering us anymore." Don replied.

The next day, Don sat alone in a secluded corner of the village. He didn't kill Sachiko; he couldn't bring himself to do it. He only beat her bad enough to scare her into not trying to pull the same stunt again. He could only feel sadness for any pain he caused Sachiko, and then he thought about the world he belonged in. The Sachiko of his world. The pain he must have caused her by not returning. If he were to die here, she would become a broken as the one in this world. His guilt and regret quickly overwhelmed him. He wasn't sure what to do now. He just began to cry. He returned home later that night, to a worried wife.

"Where have you been all day, Don? Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah... I'm better now... I just needed to be to myself and sort through some things." he said.

"Is it about yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes..." Don replied.

"That Sachiko girl. You knew her?" Konan asked.

"Yes. She was once a teammate of mine, but disappeared during a fight. We could never find her body and presumed she was dead..." he said.

Konan hugged him, "I'm sorry. She's gone now and things can return to normal. So please don't worry too much about it."

He sighed, "You're right..." Don said kissing Konan goodnight and falling asleep.

"What in interesting turn of events." Obito said as he stood before Don in his subconscious.

"What are you doing here?" he said.

"I'm here because I have another offer for you to return to the real world." he replied.

"I'm not looking in to your damn eyes." Don replied.

"No, it is far too late for that. There is only one other way for you to return home." Obito said.

"How is that?" Don asked.

"You must give back what was given to you, and reclaim what was taken from you. When you do that, you will be able to return home." he replied.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Don asked.

"It wouldn't be any fun if I told you, so I'll let you figure it out." he said disappearing.

Don woke up in the middle of the night from his dream. Konan was sound asleep by his side. He slipped out of bed and sat on the roof looking up at the sky in deep thought.

"Return what was given to me and reclaim what was taken away? What could he mean?" he wondered.

"Dad, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Karasu said as she sat next to her dad.

"Karasu... what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep and I heard you slip out the house and wondered what you were up to, so I followed." she replied.

"Oh, well, I just woke up from a bad nightmare is all. I came out here to think and get some fresh air." he said.

"What happened in your nightmare?" Karasu asked.

"It's nothing that you should concern yourself with. It was just a bad dream." Don replied.

"If it's just a bad dream, then why won't you share it with me. It might make you feel better." his daughter insisted.

"I said drop it." Don said in a serious tone.

"Ok..." Karasu said sadly.

Don hugged her, "Thank you for your concern. You were certainly born with your mother's heart, that's for sure. Why don't you try to get some sleep, I'll be right behind you in a bit." Don said.

"Ok, goodnight dad." Karasu said.

"Goodnight Karasu, I love you." he replied.

"Love you too dad." she replied heading back into the house to sleep.

Don remained on the rooftop and continued to think. He went back into the house and began walking down the hallway to the master bedroom of the house where he and Konan slept when he froze as he was outside his old bedroom door. He turned to the door, opening it, he entered his old abandoned room. He stood in the darkness of the room and looked around. There wasn't much to be seen; everything was as he had left it all these years. Out of curiosity, he opened up one of the drawers of the nightstand. His eyes widened when he saw what was in there. He pulled out a black fingerless glove with the Sunagakure hourglass sewn onto it. It was as if he had regained all his memories after suffering amnesia. He realized what Obito had meant. He realized what he needed to do. His heart shattered when he came to the realization.

In the morning Don lie awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His heart pounding so hard, he couldn't hear anything else over his heartbeat. Konan woke up a few minutes after him and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning." she said happily. When she saw Don did not react, she looked concerned. "Don, what's wrong?" her hand on his chest felt his heartbeat.

Don clinched the bed covers. He then got out of bed and got dressed. "I need to take care of something important. You and Karasu have breakfast without me. I'll be back soon." he said leaving the house.

Konan watched concerned as Don left. She would talk things over with him when her returned. In the meantime, she would begin cooking dinner for her and her daughter.

Don went to his father's office. There he found his father sitting at his desk reviewing some papers.

"Can I help you son?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dad." Don replied nervously.

"What's wrong son, something bothering you?" he asked.

"I think it's time we had a father to son talk." Don said.

"About what?" he asked.

"I don't know where to start, everything is just so jumbled up right now..." Don said.

"Take a deep breath and gather your thoughts. Then talk it out." Natsu said.

Don took a deep breath and finally spoke, "I don't belong here." he said.

Natsu looked at his son confused. "What do you mean? You aren't thinking of going rogue are you? You have a good life here and family and..."

"That's not what I meant..." Don said.

"Then what do you mean, Don?" his father asked.

"I don't belong in this world. There is a man named Obito Uchiha who sent me here many years ago. I... I've been keeping this from you for a long time now dad and I just can't keep it from you any longer." he said.

"I find it hard believing such a claim. You're my son, you haven't done anything that would suggest you didn't belong here. One would think you were playing a practical joke on me or had gone crazy." his father said.

"I'm not crazy, this isn't a joke. It's the truth!" Don replied.

Natsu sighed. "Calm down Don. I know you are telling the truth."

Don looked puzzled. "You... do? How?" he asked.

"I've known for years. A short time after you showed up to the village, I got a report from one of my ANBU agents that my son's body had been found a short distance past the border entering the land of fire. At first I became very suspicious of you. I thought you were some imposter who killed my son and was impersonating him for an unknown purpose. As I observed you, I came to realize, that somehow there were two of you existing in this world. One who had died and one that was now alive, existing before me. I never understood how it was possible until now, from what you just revealed to me." Natsu explained.

"What gave it away that I wasn't an imposter?" Don asked.

"There are just some things about a person you can't replicate. You can only copy a person's personally so much. There are just some rare traits that show themselves that define a person. One of them being your ability to pulsate a commanding presence when you're serious about something, like you did just now when you asked for a father-son talk." his father replied.

"Then why not approach me about it long ago?" Don asked.

"Don, have I taught you nothing? You're a man. You have to face your personal challenges on your own terms. I wanted you to come tell me yourself about this." he replied.

"I'm sorry, dad." Don replied.

"It's ok son. I'm happy you finally told me." his father replied.

Don looked down to the floor, his heart began to pound heavily again.

"What's wrong son, is something else on your mind?" Natsu asked.

"That man. Obito Uchiha, he said that this world is a dream world. One he created with his sharingan, but it was shaped by me. I'm ashamed to say dad, but shortly after arriving here, Obito offered me a way back home, but I refused. I didn't want to accept my reality. I wanted to run away from it and remain here in this dream, where I couldn't be hurt, where I could be happy. And last night, he approached me again offering me another way out." Don said, his mental sanity snapping.

"And what would that outlet involve?" his father asked.

"He said I had to give back what had been given to me, and reclaim what had been taken away from me. I didn't quite understand what he meant until I stumbled upon this..." he said tossing his old Suna glove on his father's desk.

"What is this?" his father asked.

"It's the glove I wear everyday. It's the glove that is a testament of my reality. Dad, I'm a sand shinobi. I left Konoha a long time ago, I wondered the whole world in search of a new home and wound up settling down there. So much had happened in the two years since I had left Konoha, but that's all irrelevant now." Don said.

"And what is your reality like, Don? What about it, made you want to stay here?" his father asked starting to feel a cold presence from his son.

"It's the same answer to the riddle Obito game me..." Don said. "In my world, in my reality, you were killed on a black ops mission by Kabuto, when I was eight years old. The years following, I became an outcast. Only the Hyugas accepted me, but it still wasn't enough, so I left Konoha behind me. When I traveled to Amegakure, hoping to make it my home, I met Konan. We had a rough introduction, but she eventually came around and next thing I knew, we were madly in love. Things were looking brighter for me dad, they really were. With the work Konan and I put into that village to get it back on its feet, I slowly became accepted as one of them. I also had a great woman standing by my side. It was like you had told me once, 'Behind every great man, is a great woman.' and she was that great woman standing behind the great man I felt I was becoming. Unfortunately, I was young and naïve. I didn't know she was part of the Akatsuki and one day one of her fellow organization members told me that I either joined them or die. I declined, but convinced the man not to kill me. I survived the ordeal, but it came at a price; I had to leave Amegakure, and never return or I would be killed before I could even make it inside the village. Some time after I settled in Suna, became a sand shinobi, and while on a mission, I was killed. Through a forbidden jutsu I developed, I was brought back to life a year later, but by then the world had changed. The world had been torn apart by a war Obito had waged against the five great shinobi nations, but worst of all, Konan had committed suicide trying to take Obito down... I did find new love in Sachiko, if you remember her from back in the day, but the pain of your deaths still lingered in my heart."

"Wow... Don. I had no idea. I'm so sorry son..." Natsu said for lack of better words.

"And then I was sent here. I couldn't believe that in this world, the two of you were still alive... I was given something I had lost, but in the process, Sachiko was dead in this world, or so I thought. Not too long ago, she was the one who attacked the village while you were away. She was someone who was taken from me..." Don said.

Don's father sat upright in his chair and folded his hands, "I understand everything now... In order for you to return home, you must kill me and Konan, and somehow make things right with Sachiko."

"Yes..." Don said.

His father sighed, "Don, I want you to know that no matter what, I still love you. I always have, and always will. This situation changes nothing and as your father, if it means giving up my life to help you return home, then I will do it."

"Why so easily?" Don asked.

"I guess it's a paternal feeling you haven't quite grasped yet. I understand since you lost me at such a young age. You weren't exposed to what it was like to have a parent around all the time, but look at this this way. You're a father yourself, what would you do is Karasu approached you and said the same things you just told me now?"

Don paused for a bit, "I guess I'd do the same thing as you..." he said.

"There is no guessing. You're a father, Don. Your world revolves around your family. Your wife and your child. You willingly sacrifice yourself for them. No matter how bad the situation, you must always remember that your heart lies within them. You give your heart to your wife, and a half of you in within your child." his father lectured.

Don looked up at his father, tears beginning to form. "Can you give me your final words of wisdom? The last bit of advice you would have shared with me if you hadn't been killed?"

"Don. Before us lies our path. We can deviate from that path many times in our life, but he most important thing is finding our way back. Sometimes, it may not be easy to see our path in the darkness, which will cause us to become lost easily. Eventually, we will find a light inside us that lead us in the right direction. Never let go of that light, no matter what, Don."

Tears fell Don's eyes as he pulled out a kunai. "I love you dad..." Don said.

"I love you too son. I hate to see you go, but a father can't stop his son from chasing after what is right. For what it's worth, thank you for everything. Despite losing my son, you made everything as though he never died. Be strong, Don. I wish you the best of luck when you return home. I know you will grow to be a fine young man, an outstanding sand shinobi, and someone I know I will be proud of, then again, I already am." Natsu said. These were his final words as Don slit his throat and quickly returned home.

Don returned home to see Konan and Karasu were eating breakfast.

"Welcome home dad!" Karasu said.

"Welcome home, Don." Konan said.

Don tried to crack a smile, but wasn't able to after having just killed his father.

"Don, what's wrong?" Konan asked.

"There's something I need to tell you... actually, it's something the both of you need to know." Don said.

"What is it?" Karasu asked.

Don sat at the table and all eyes were on him. Don took a deep breath and began to explain the same thing as he explained to his father. "There's no easy way for me to say this without you guys thinking I'm crazy, but please trust me. What I'm about to say it true... I don't really belong in this world. Many years ago, I ran into a man called Obito Uchiha. Using his sharingan, he sent me here, which he called a dream world. The unique thing about this dream world is that it was created by him, yet it was shaped by me. It was shocking to see the differences in this world compared to the one I belong to."

"Like what?" Karasu asked.

Don tossed his Suna glove on the table, bother Konan and Karasu looked puzzled.

"In my world, I'm a sand shinobi. My father and your mother are dead..." he said creating a shocking reaction from the bother of them. "My father was taken from me when I was eight years old. A man named Kabuto had taken his life while my dad was on a mission. After which I became an outcast in this village. Eventually I grew tired of it and left. I traveled to various villages looking for a place to call home, one of them Amegakure. That is when I met your mother for the first time. We had a bit of a rough introduction because she thought I was a spy, but once she warmed up to me, we became inseparable, like we are today. I really found a great life in Amegakure. I had a love of my life beside me and because of the work we were putting in for the village, the locals were accepting me. However, I was too blind to realize she was part of the Akatsuki. I didn't find out until a man named Pein told me I either joined or died. I refused his offer, but because of me and Konan's relationship, I convinced him to spare my life. However I had to leave Amegakure and never come back or I really would be killed. I eventually settled in Sunagakure, and while on a mission, I was killed. A year later, I was brought back to life by a forbidden jutsu I had developed. To my horror, I was informed that you, Konan, had committed suicide trying to take down Obito and stop the war he had waged against the five shinobi nations. In my world, I am in love with one of my old squadmates. You both know her. It's Sachiko..."

Konan and Karasu gasped.

"That psychotic bitch who crashed my birthday party is your lover?" Karasu exclaimed. By now, Konan was in tears from everything she heard.

"Yes... she really is a pleasant woman in my world." Don replied.

"Why wait this long to tell us this?" Konan asked.

"Because it was a reality I wanted to forget because I was too happy here in this dream world, but I've grown weary and really want to go home..." Don replied.

"And how are you going to do that?" Konan asked.

"I once was offered a way back home shortly after I arrived here. I rejected it knowing that if I died here, I'd never return home. I would disappear without a trace and eventually be considered MIA and then presumed dead. Last night, Obito offered me another way home, but gave me a riddle which I had to solve. He said 'Return what was given to you. Reclaim what was taken from you.'." Don said clinching his fist.

Karasu broke into tears, "No! You can't! You can't kill mom! I won't let you!" she screamed lunging for him.

Don made a hand sign and Karasu was immediately restrained by a wooden vines. "It's too late. I already killed my dad. I only have two more parts to complete and I can finally go home."

Karasu's face went pale. Konan's eyes went dark as she shot Don a piercing glare. She extended her paper angel wings, "I'm not going to let you kill me, Don. I love you, but I won't allow you to leave our daughter parentless. You'd be subjecting her to the same kind of life you have in that other world, are you perfectly ok with this?"

Don thought for a split second, "I am. I can't live my life a lie any longer. I need to return home." Don then said.

Konan then shot a barrage of explosive tags at Don. Don disappeared into the shadows and reappeared in front of her, stabbing her in the heart. As he did so, his face was tearing up. Time seemed to slow as he whispered into her ear.

"I love you with all my heart Konan, please forgive me. Thank you for everything. You allowed me to repent for my regret of never being able to be with you and see our work completed."

Don laid Konan on the ground, she was on her last few breaths, Karasu was screaming at the top of her lungs, squirming in her constraint. Don held his wife's hand and kissed her one last time, then closing her eyes as she died.

Don walked out the house and as he did, Karasu's constraints disappeared. She bolted out the house to catch up to her father only to find him gone.

Deep within the forest outside Konoha, Sachiko sat alone in the middle of a tiny clearing. The rays of sunlight pierced through the canopies of the trees creating a serene atmosphere. She picked through the grass sadly, having lost the opportunity to kill Don, everyone around him, and exact her revenge. Even worse, she was too afraid to even go near him after the nightmare he put her through.

"I thought I'd find you here." Don said calmly as he walked into the clearing from the forest.

Sachiko turned to see Don walking toward her. She screamed and backed away, "Get away from me you monster! I gave up on getting my revenge on you, I swear! Please, don't hurt me!" then ran behind a tree.

"I came here to talk. I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened to you. I want to make things right again. I want there to be an us, again... Is there anything I can do to fix things between us?" Don asked sincerely.

Sachiko still his behind the tree as she listened to Don talk. She wasn't sure if he was lying but her heart was telling her that he meant what he said.

Don waited a bit to see if she would answer him, but there was just silence. "I have nothing more to say. I'm sorry to have bothered you." he said turning around to leave.

"Wait! Don!" Sachiko called out to him running out from behind the tree to catch up with him.

Don stopped and turned around to see Sachiko running toward him wither tears in her eyes. She hopped into his arms and hugged him tight. "All I ever wanted was to give you my heart, for you to nurture it and in turn allow me to do the same with yours."

Don lifted her head and wiped away her tears. "I know you have, and know that I will." he said kissing her.

Sachiko's eyes widened in shock but then she shortly after, began kissing him back. She felt the ice melt away form her heart as Don warmly embraced her. "I... love you Don." she said meekly.

"I love you too Sachiko." Don replied softly as he stroked her hair.

They both smiled at each other and were interrupted by someone clapping.

"Well done, Don! I didn't think you had it in you!" Obito said hopping down from the branch of a tree and walking to him.

Just then a ray of light shot through the canopy and into the clearing creating a portal.

"That is your ticket home." Obito said tilting his head in the portal's direction.

"You're leaving me again?" Sachiko asked.

"Yes, but not for long. It's a long and complicated story, but what it boils down to is, I am from a different world. A parallel world. Though, in that world, my heart belongs to you, so this isn't goodbye forever." Don said smiling as he broke free from her and began to walk toward the portal.

"Wait! Dad!" Karasu called out to him.

Don turned around to see Karasu lunging at him once again. "I'll never forgive you for killing mom and grandpa! Die you sick bastard!" Don smiled at her and hugged her before she would stab him with her knife. She squirmed in his arms desperately trying to break free. "Let me go!"

"Karasu, please, quiet down and listen to me." Don said.

"No! I won't! You killed mom!" she said.

"I know I did. I don't expect you to forgive me, but all I can ask is that you do. This whole situation is complicated and I can't justify what I did to anyone because this all applied to me." Don said.

"Shut up! I don't care! I want to kill you!" she cried loudly beginning to beat her father's chest.

"Shh." Don hushed as he embraced his daughter stroking Karasu's hair trying to calm her down. "My time here has come to an end Karasu. Just know I don't regret having spent time here. Marrying your mother, and above all else, having you as my daughter, I don't regret. You two have been a blessing to me and I could only dream of having you guys in my life, but this world, it really is just a dream. It's my dream, that Obito made into a pseudo reality. I can't run away anymore Karasu. I don't belong here. I need to face my reality head on and make something of myself. Please don't hate me for what I've done, and even if you do, don't make the same mistake I did. Don't allow yourself to succumb to hatred and darkness. You've grown into a great woman Karasu; you're young, beautiful, and talented. You have a great future ahead of you. No matter what you do, just know that I love you; always have, always will. Thank you for being the daughter I always wanted. Take everything I've taught you and use it well. I will never forget you..." Don said finally letting his daughter go and began walking for the portal.

Karasu stood crying, but right before Don took his first step into the portal, she called out to him. "Wait, dad!" she cried running to him hugging him tight. "I love you too! I don't want you to go! I have no one else! I don't want to be alone! Please don't go!"

Don hugged Karasu, "I have to, Karasu. Be strong. Remember that you are my daughter. You're half of me and inside you is the ability to persevere through this and to do it on your own." He then pulled out his Suna glove and handed it to her along with two letters. "Take these. It's to remember me by. The first letter you can open as soon as I'm home free, the second letter you are to open on your wedding night."

Karasu sniffled slowly accepting the fact that her father was leaving her. She pulled her necklace off handing it to him. "Mom said that this used to belong to her mother. She passed it down to me for my last birthday. Please wear this and never take it off."

Don looked down at his daughter's necklace; it was a beautifully carved sapphire in the shape of a raindrop. On either of its sides were angel's wings. He placed it around his neck and smiled at his daughter. "Thank you, and I promise this will remain around my neck forever." He turned around to step through the portal and turned around again to face his daughter one last time.

"I love you Karasu. Goodbye and remember that I'll always be proud of you no matter what." Don said.

Karasu began to tear up, "I love you too dad. I forgive you for everything! I'll miss you!" she cried back watching her dad disappear into the light.

Don found himself back in Konoha, it was night, just like it had been when he had left. He looked at himself, he was back to being a teenager again, like he was when he left. He looked down at his chest and was shocked to see Karasu's necklace was still around his neck. He picked it up and kissed it. "Thank you Konan, thank you Karasu. I love you both and I will always have you with me in my heart." His knees buckled on him and he fell to the ground crying. The aftershock of what had happened to him was just to great. He had been in the dream world for over twenty years.

Don returned to his house on the southern side of the village. When he opened the door, he expected to see Konan and Karasu in their beds. As he walked through the house, he realized that he had forgotten that they weren't going to be there. He was back to reality.

A woman with blue hair and gray eyes wearing a black dress stood before two gravestones which were placed in a clearing deep within the forest outside of Konohagakure. One labeled Konan, the other labeled Don. The woman placed flowers before both the headstones and said a prayer for the both of them. Covering her left folded hand was a black fingerless glove marked with the hourglass of Sunagakure. When she was done praying she turned and left the clearing.

A warm breeze swept through the forest blowing the leaves out of the trees from which they reside and into the current. The leaves gently fell on the gravestones. One the gravestones, given to Don, a letter had been placed. A letter addressed to a father which would never be read.


End file.
